My friend
Annie has requested lazy bloggers to update their blogs so she has some entertainment while feeding her adorable newborn. Well, I did happen to have a rather amusing thing happen to me yesterday. I just want to start out by saying, I have the best intentions when it comes to baking bread, and without fail, my three or four attempts have failed miserably. I would just love to be one of those people who whips up a batch of rolls in the morning and has them hot out of the oven just in time for dinner. But so far, the only thing that comes close to this in my house is Pilsbury Grands, which I have even been known to ruin. Well, yesterday, I decided to make the attempt again, I decided to make French bread. I whipped up a batch, and things were looking good, the dough wasn't too sticky and it smelled like bread, always a good thing. So I put it into the bowl to rise. I took the girls out for a quick trip to Joann's, came back, checked on the bread, and...it looked exactly the same. No rise, not even a little bit. I called my mom, she told me to put the oven on at 150 and stick it in there. I did, checked about a half hour later, and...flat as a pancake. So I call my mom back, she says it's either one of two things. The yeast is no good, which I decided was not the case, since it seemed to be working just fine when I started the bread. Or, too hot of water killed the yeast. Bingo! The recipe called for hot water, well, not knowing how hot, I put near boiling water in. Yep, killed it.
Okay, so here's my dilemma, it's 5:30 and that was my dinner. I was going to make a stromboli thingy out of the bread. Well, I whipped up some mac n' cheese for the girls. Then, I came across something I bought on a whim awhile ago...hamburger helper. Never tried it in my life. I thought, hey! Why not? Got the hamburger helper going for James and I. It looked a lot like this:
And tasted a lot like it too. Not going to be buying that anytime soon. My R.S. president came by and said, "Mmm, something smells good!" I told her I would not tell her what it actually was that smelled good, she could just think I had cooked something extremely yummy. Anyway, that was my bread failure #4. But I am not giving up! I'll let you know how attempt #5 goes.
7 comments:
Okay-bread and I have this exact same problem. I have a friend who made fabulous rolls for me TWICE after I had Storey and she just "whipped them up"-they were fluffy and wonderful. So, she gave me the recipe. Either she left out three or four ingredients or I am just yeast impaired. Mine turn out like baseballs. Haven't tried that recipe again. What is the trick that we just don't get?!?
Hamburger Helper is something you only eat when you desperately need to eat from your food storage :)
Now this is what I needed. Thank you.
Yah, me and homemade bread are not BFFs either. It must be something about our generation because I just had a conversation the other day with about 15 girls at a baby shower and we all claimed the same thing--that baking bread was a total lost cause. I suspect, though, that there was at least one good baker in the bunch who was keeping their baking skills under wraps just for the sake of not coming off as a boasting domestic goddess. And you know what? I appreciate that.
My bread baking experiences are the same as yours. It is discouraging, but I am determined to get it right! I went to a bread making demonstration on Saturday and am working up the courage to try again. They kneaded their wheat bread in the mixer for 12 minutes. Maybe that has been part of my problem because I haven't been mixing it long enough. I just like to blame it on the altitude and lack of humidity here!
i refuse to learn to bake bread. i have recently discovered these rolls in the frozen section of the grocery store that taste pretty homemade. sister something, i can't remember the name, but they are in a circle pie pan and you just thaw and bake for 15 minutes. they are surprisingly yummy--way better than out of a can, and way easier than dealing with yeast and kneading and pounding and whatever the heck else you are supposed to do to homemade rolls.
Melissa, come over! I will make a batch of bread with you! You'll see how easy it can really be and be hooked!!!
I always wanted to learn how to make homemade rolls so my friend Jamie came over and made them with me. She showed me all the ins and outs. I am able to make yummy rolls now that she has shown me. As far as the water tempurature goes...I microwave 1 cup of water on high for 1 minute. It makes the tempurature perfect for the yeast. Let me know if you want a bread making date!
thats pretty funny. maybe next time? that is what i always hope for too!
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